CINEMATIC ALLUSIONS TO LITERARY WORKS DREAMCHILD (1985) |
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The plot of Dreamchild, although a biographical film, relies heavily on cinematic allusions to Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland. The film concerns a visit to America in 1932 by an elderly Mrs. Alice Liddell Hargreaves, who was the inspiration of the Rev. Charles Dodgson aka Lewis Carroll's 'Alice.' Filmmakers Gavin Millar and Dennis Potter, through the use of flashbacks and dreams of Mrs. Hargreaves, introduce the familiar characters and situations of Alice in Wonderland. However, Lewis Carroll's familiar words are given a different interpretation coming from a 79-year-old woman. The innocent word games and puzzles of Wonderland have a different and darker edge as the elder Alice approaches conversations she first encountered 70 years earlier. The Mad Hatter, March Hare and Caterpillar all continue to evoke bewilderment in Alice as she tries to analyze the relationship between herself and Rev. Dodgson. Visually, the filmmakers, using Jim Henson's puppets, introduce us to Wonderland characters of the elder Alice's mind. Instead of the whimsical and beloved characters of John Tenniel's illustrations we are greeted by grotesque and menacing creatures-the dream of Wonderland becomes instead a nightmare. |
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A final interesting allusion found in Dreamchild is the use of the character of the Mock Turtle to attempt to explain the complex author. As Rev. Dodgson recites the 'Song of the Mock Turtle' in the film, the man is portrayed as ridiculous and as pathetic as the character he created. A critique of his obsession parallels the Gryphon's summation of the Mock Turtle, "It's all his fancy, that: he hasn't got no sorrow, you know." A viewing of Dreamchild opens one to a reinterpretation of what Alice in Wonderland reveals about the author and his muse. |
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Robert Laurich Associate Professor, Library |
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Bibliography |
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Base, Ron. "Peering into Dark Side of Alice's Looking Glass." The Toronto Star 13 Dec. 1985: D7. Carroll, Lewis. The Annotated Alice: Alice's Adventures in Wonderland & Through the Looking Glass. New York: Bramhall House, 1960. Holden, Stephen. "'Dreamchild.' About Lewis Carroll's Alice." The New York Times 4 Oct. 1985: C9. Kempley, Rita. "'Dreamchild': Old Alice, New Wonderland." The Washington Post 17 Jan. 1986: 23. |
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